{"title":"Francesca Wade","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrancesca Wade's works delve into the intricate lives of historical figures, blending rigorous research with vivid storytelling. Readers can expect richly detailed biographies that illuminate the personal and cultural contexts shaping her subjects, such as the enigmatic Gertrude Stein.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer writing often explores the intersection of history and the arts, offering fresh perspectives on well-known personalities and epochs. Those interested in \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e will find Wade’s books both insightful and engaging.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"square-haunting","title":"Square Haunting","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\nSquare Haunting by Francesca Wade takes readers on a captivating journey through the lives of five extraordinary women who sought to carve out their own spaces in the interwar period of London. Set against the backdrop of Mecklenburgh Square in Bloomsbury, these women—modernist poet H.D., detective novelist Dorothy L. Sayers, classicist Jane Harrison, economic historian Eileen Power, and writer and publisher Virginia Woolf—found within these walls a sanctuary where they could challenge societal norms and pursue their ambitions independently. \n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHome to activists, experimenters, and revolutionaries, Mecklenburgh Square becomes a microcosm of creativity and resistance. Through a rich narrative, Wade interweaves the stories of these trailblazing women, exploring how their contributions to literature, scholarship, and social change were shaped by the physical and intellectual freedom this location afforded them. By concentrating on these women’s overlapping histories, Wade provides a nuanced picture of their shared and individual struggles, triumphs, and friendships.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nDrawing from diaries, letters, and archives, Wade presents an enthralling group biography that delves into both public achievements and private sacrifices. Readers are invited to walk the streets of 1920s and 1930s London, a city on the cusp of modernity, alongside these women who refused to be relegated to the domestic sphere. The book resonates with the energy, vulnerability, and determined intellect of its subjects, making it a compelling read for those interested in feminist history, literary biography, and the story of Bloomsbury's radical fringe.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFrancesca Wade's spellbinding narrative is a deeply researched and elegantly written meditation on creativity, independence, and the transformative power of place. \n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\"Outstanding. I'll be recommending this all year.\"\u003c\/i\u003e - Sarah Bakewell \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\"A beautiful and deeply moving book.\"\u003c\/i\u003e - Sally Rooney\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\"I like this London life... the street-sauntering and square-haunting.\"\u003c\/i\u003e - Virginia Woolf, diary, 1925\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nElegant, erudite, and absorbing, Square Haunting is a startlingly original debut, marking Francesca Wade as a writer of significant promise and insight.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\"Elegant, erudite and absorbing, \u003ci\u003eSquare Haunting\u003c\/i\u003e is a startlingly original debut, and Francesca Wade is a writer to watch.\"\u003c\/i\u003e - Frances Wilson\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\"A fascinating voyage through the lives of five remarkable women - a moving and immersive portrait.\"\u003c\/i\u003e - Edmund Gordon\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45706869604588,"sku":"9780571330669","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780571330669.jpg?v=1725893023"},{"product_id":"gertrude-stein-by-francesca-wade-9780571369317","title":"Gertrude Stein","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'A total joy to read.' \u003cstrong\u003eSARAH BAKEWELL\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Thrillingly intelligent and original . . . A breakthrough in biographical form.' \u003cstrong\u003eEDMUND GORDON\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'A discerning literary biography and a page-turning whodunit.' \u003cstrong\u003eLISA APPIGNANESI\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'I feel like I've been waiting for this book my whole life.' \u003cstrong\u003eSHEILA HETI\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the celebrated author of \u003ci\u003eSquare Haunting\u003c\/i\u003e comes a biography as unconventional and surprising as the life it tells.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Think of the Bible and Homer, think of Shakespeare and think of me,' wrote Gertrude Stein in 1936. Admirers called her a genius, sceptics a charlatan: she remains one of the most confounding - and contested - writers of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this literary detective story, Francesca Wade delves into the creation of the Stein myth. We see her posing for Picasso's portrait; at the centre of Bohemian Parisian life hosting the likes of Matisse and Hemingway; racing through the French countryside with her enigmatic companion Alice B. Toklas; dazzling American crowds on her sell-out tour for her sensational \u003ci\u003eAutobiography\u003c\/i\u003e - a veritable celebrity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYet Stein hoped to be remembered not for her personality but for her work. From her deathbed, she charged her partner with securing her place in literary history. How would her legend shift once it was Toklas's turn to tell the stories - especially when uncomfortable aspects of their past emerged from the archive? Using astonishing never-before-seen material, Wade uncovers the origins of Stein's radical writing, and reveals new depths to the storied relationship which made it possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is Gertrude Stein as she was when nobody was watching: captivating, complex and human.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Gardners Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46837353742572,"sku":"9780571369317","price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11369283482391.jpg?v=1758606963"},{"product_id":"gertrude-stein-by-francesca-wade-9780571369348","title":"Gertrude Stein","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShortlisted for The American Library in Paris Book Award 2025\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Strikingly accomplished . . . utterly compelling.'\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'A masterpiece of biography.'\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'A total joy to read.'\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSarah Bakewell\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'I feel like I've been waiting for this book my whole life.'\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSheila Heti\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Book of the Year in:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ci\u003eArtforum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003ci\u003eNPR's Fresh Air\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the celebrated author of \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eSquare Haunting\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e comes a biography as unconventional and surprising as the life it tells.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Think of the Bible and Homer think of Shakespeare and think of me,' wrote Gertrude Stein in 1936. Admirers called her a genius, sceptics a charlatan: she remains one of the most confounding - and contested - writers of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this literary detective story, Francesca Wade delves into the creation of the Stein myth. We see her posing for Picasso's portrait; at the centre of Bohemian Parisian life hosting the likes of Matisse and Hemingway; racing through the French countryside with her enigmatic companion Alice B. Toklas; dazzling American crowds on her sell-out tour for her sensational \u003ci\u003eAutobiography\u003c\/i\u003e - a veritable celebrity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYet Stein hoped to be remembered not for her personality but for her work. From her deathbed, she charged her partner with securing her place in literary history. How would her legend shift once it was Toklas's turn to tell the stories - especially when uncomfortable aspects of their past emerged from the archive? Using astonishing never-before-seen material, Wade uncovers the origins of Stein's radical writing, and reveals new depths to the storied relationship which made it possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is Gertrude Stein as she was when nobody was watching: captivating, complex and human.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47548193964268,"sku":"9780571369348","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/b6816a3c1ab69321dc8997658fe408d1.jpg?v=1776908932"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/francesca-wade.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}